Politics | Oct 21st 2023 Edition

Joe Biden’s trip to Israel to lend support after the terrorist attack by Hamas was overshadowed by a blast at a hospital in Gaza, which the Palestinians said killed hundreds of people. America and Israel pointed to intelligence that suggests the explosion was caused by a missile launched by Islamic Jihad, another militant group, that misfired, falling in the hospital’s car park. Hamas and many Arab countries said an Israeli strike was to blame. The incident triggered outrage in the Arab world, leading Jordan to cancel a summit between Mr Biden and the leaders of Jordan and Egypt and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority.